February 5th is the day of the horrible “Gulja Massacre” in the recent history of the Uyghurs, which once again deeply wounded the hearts of the Uyghurs.
Ghulja is one of the ancient cities with a long history in which the Uyghurs have played a very important role in politics, economy, and culture. In recent history, the Uyghur revolution broke out against the Chinese Kuomintang government, and on november 12, 1944, the Uyghur people declared their independence once again. It is the place where the 2nd East Turkistan Republic was founded. Therefore, Ghulja has been one of the most sensitive regions for the Chinese government.
27 years ago, on February 5, 1997, under the leadership of hundreds of Uighur youths, Abduhelil Abdumjit, peacefully protested against injustices such as the banning of soccer and football, the abduction of children and women to Chinese cities, and the proliferation of drugs. However, the Chinese government was very worried about the protests and used police, armed soldiers, police dogs, and incendiary weapons to suppress the protests. For two weeks, they went under martial law and from house to house arrested thousands of innocent Uyghurs. On February 5, the captured Uyghurs were gathered in an open field, forced to walk barefoot on thick snow, and their limbs were frozen by spraying of water from a high-pressure hose. Those with frostbite had their limbs pinched. The leaders of the protest were sentenced to death. Protesters are still living under torture in prisons…
Every year on February 5th, the Uyghurs in the diaspora have been commemorating the Ghulja Massacre in their countries and expressing their protest against the invading Chinese government in various ways. This year, the Uyghurs in the Netherlands also protested at the Amsterdam Dam Square under the arrangement of the East Turkistan Union of Organizations and the Uyghur Support Foundation. This terrible day was recalled in the protest, and the crimes against humanity and genocide committed against the Uyghurs by the Chinese occupation government were made known to Dutch and tourists from all over the world at Dam Square.
In addition to Uyghurs, Tibetans, Cantonese, and Hongkongers also participated in the protest and expressed their strong resistance against the genocide being carried out by the Chinese government in East Turkistan.
During the protest, “Fascist China”, “Terrorist China”, “Terrorist Xi Jinping”, “China Get Out of East Turkistan”, “Independence to East Turkistan”, “Independence to Tibet”, “Independence to Cantonese”, “Independence to Hong Kong”, “Chinese Government”, “Stop the Genocide against Uyghurs”, “We need freedom”, “We need justice” Slogans were shouted. The demonstration took place from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Abdureim Gheni Uyghur
5 february, 2024